Martinez Seeks Housing Subsidies

January 26, 1988|By DIANE HIRTH, Tallahassee Bureau

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Bob Martinez said on Monday he will push for $27 million to $30 million to subsidize construction of low-rent housing and to offer low- cost mortgages to first-time homebuyers in Florida.

That is short of the $43 million that the Affordable Housing Study Commission recommended be spent annually on providing shelter at a reasonable price. The state commission found an immediate need for 43,000 low-income rental units and described the overall shortage of affordable housing as ``acute.``

``We cannot simply shrug our shoulders and forever turn our back on the poor,`` said Martinez. ``The state of Florida must do something ... for that is the mark of a civilized society.``

Martinez said that selling his housing program to the Legislature, which draws up the state budget, will be one of his top priorities.

He said, ``The federal funds on this are down to a trickle. I think that if we don`t provide some assistance that the conditions will continue to deteriorate. Not only are we concerned with the conditions that people must live in, but I think young families need a starter opportunity.... Our concern is that it`s very difficult to get into that first house unit now.``

Martinez estimated his proposal could provide up to 3,200 low-income rental units, which would be built by providing incentives to private developers. Such incentives could include tax-exempt bond financing and loans to developers to guarantee affordable rents.

Meanwhile, first-time home buyers with low or moderate incomes would have access to low-interest loans that would reduce the up-front costs of buying a house.

The governor said the housing program should be financed by the state`s $550 million infrastructure fund, which represents about half of the money coming from the soon-to-be sixth cent of state sales tax.

Martinez has said he wants to put another $250 million from that fund into transportation needs. It is almost a guarantee that he and the Legislature will fight over that infrastructure fund, which is supposed to be spent on capital improvements that help Florida keep abreast of its rapid growth.

The governor linked his quest for more affordable housing to his recent environmental initiatives:

``If our urban areas deteriorate. ... If the only way we provide for the low- and moderate-income Floridians who need our help is by letting all our urban areas decay into slums.